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A Novel

The Beautiful Dream of Life

A Novel

From celebrated painter Domingo Zapata comes an evocative, immersive, and at times satirical portrait of a renowned contemporary artist who, while grappling with the intersection of his art, his life, and the world he lives in, begins to slip further and further into delusion.

World renowned painter Rodrigo seemingly has it all: a multi-million dollar loft in SoHo; a talent for creativity that seems never ending; a recurring invitation to the exclusive modern art exhibit Art Basel; and lovers by the dozen. But what his longtime admirers don’t see is Rodrigo’s deep frustration with the world around him: the wild and sinfully luxurious parties have lost their luster, those who worship him and those who work for him seemingly do so out of greed, and worst of all, his art has lost meaning.

As he begins to slip further and further into the rabbit hole of despair, so begins his descent into madness, culminating with a beautiful, pristine vision in the shape of the perfect woman: Carlotta. As the lines between reality and fantasy slowly begin to blur and fade, Rodrigo finds himself at a very difficult crossroads: will he choose to live in his imagined world with the woman of his dreams by his side, or make a swift return to sanity, success, and the life he was always supposed to live?

Reading Group Guide

This reading group guide for The Beautiful Dream of Life includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Domingo Zapata. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that this guide will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

World-renowned painter Rodrigo seemingly has it all: a multimillion-dollar loft in SoHo, a talent for creativity that seems never-ending, a recurring invitation to the exclusive modern-art exhibit Art Basel, and lovers by the dozen. But what his longtime admirers don’t see is Rodrigo’s deep frustration with the world around him: the wild and sinfully luxurious parties have lost their luster, those who worship him and those who work for him seemingly do so out of greed, and, worst of all, his art has lost its meaning.

As he begins to slip further and further into the rabbit hole of despair, so begins his descent into madness, culminating with a beautiful, pristine vision in the shape of the perfect woman: Carlotta. As the lines between reality and fantasy slowly begin to blur and fade, Rodrigo finds himself at a very difficult crossroads: Will he choose to live in his imagined world with the woman of his dreams by his side, or make a swift return to sanity, success, and the life he was alw
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About the Author

Domingo Zapata is a contemporary artist, originally from Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Currently, he maintains studios in New York City, Venice, Paris, and Miami. The Beautiful Dream of Life is his first novel. Find out more from DZapata.com.